Many cleaning articles have been created for dusting. Rags or paper towels used dry or wet with polishing and furniture polishing compositions have been used on relatively flat surfaces; however, they are less effective when cleaning cracks and crevices. To overcome the problems associated with rags and paper towels, dust gathering devices have been created using feathers, lamb's wool, and synthetic fibers brushes. These dust gathering devices can be expensive to manufacture, and as such are designed to be re-usable. Soiled traditional dusters are typically cleaned via shaking the dust gathering device. An inherent problem associated with dusting with a dust gathering device is that dust gathering devices do not hold on or trap dust very well. As such, soils trapped by dust gathering devices are prone to redeposit dust, often during use, which can be frustrating to consumers.
To address the problems experienced with dust gathering devices, disposable dust gathering devices have been developed which have limited re-usability. These disposable dust gathering devices may include brush portions made of synthetic fiber bundles attached to a non-woven. While these disposable dust gathering devices may be useful for dusting, when used in combination with polishing and furniture polishing compositions the disposable dusters are rendered ineffective, as these dust gathering devices become matted down or ball up. Additionally, these dusters are not effective at polishing and enhancing surface shine relative to rags or paper towels used in combination with polishing and furniture polishing compositions. By contrast, the rags and paper towels do not provide all the benefits delivered by a disposable dry a duster attached to a handle including 1) hygiene (hand does not touch chemicals, dirt or surface during cleaning), 2) reach (can get into cracks and crevices and hard to reach places such as behind electronics, not easy or possible when using rags and paper towels by hand), and 3) convenience (can dust and clean between knick knacks without having to move them).
The S.C. Johnson company introduced a disposable dust gathering device used in combination with a spray solution. This system is prone to leaving behind a visually noticeable residue. This residue creates an unacceptable hazy appearance on glass and shiny surfaces. On wood surfaces, the shine is often uneven and splotchy due to inability of the duster to evenly spread the solution across the entire surface. A significant deficiency of the Pledge system is that it is constructed of 100% thermoplastic synthetic materials. Instrumental analysis using Infrared and Light microscopy indicate that the materials making up the Pledge duster are bicomponent thermoplastic synthetic fibers of polyethylene and polyester. This includes the attachment layer non-wovens and fibrous tow material making up the cleaning layers. While synthetic non-wovens and synthetic fibrous materials such as tow fibers have characteristics that make them effective for dry dusting, they are not optimized for polishing or wood polishing. Thermoplastic synthetic fibers such as polyethylene and polyester have a low affinity for water or aqueous solutions and poor water absorbency. Furthermore, the water or aqueous solution that is adsorbed between the fibers is only loosely bound and is therefore easily dumped back onto the surface. As a result, dusters composed of synthetic fibers do not evenly or effectively spread liquid when wiped across a surface.
While attempts to improve the cleaning characteristics of dust gathering devices have been made, there has to date been no dust gathering device that substantially eliminates its problems and inefficiencies.
It is, therefore, highly desirable to create a duster that maximizes a user's effort while minimizing the spreading of dust particles. It is also highly desirable to create a duster that is capable of providing even polishing without any of the above user negatives. Further, it is highly desirable to maximize the functionality and versatility of a duster. This invention accomplishes those goals.